Banbury is a constituency in Oxfordshire created in 1553 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Its current MP is Sean Woodcock of the Labour Party, who gained the seat at the 2024 general election.
Constituency profile
The constituency is located in Oxfordshire and stretches over parts of the Cherwell and West Oxfordshire local government districts. It is largely rural and agricultural, with the western area forming part of the Cotswolds. The constituency includes the large market town of Banbury, the small towns of Chipping Norton and Charlbury, and many smaller villages.
Banbury is an important local centre for commerce and industry, especially in the motorsport sector. In 2016 the town had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Chipping Norton is known for the Chipping Norton set, a group of high-profile media and political personalities who live in the area. Residents of the constituency are wealthier than the national average and around 90% of the population are white.
At the most recent local elections in 2024, voters in Banbury elected mostly Labour councillors, whilst the seats in the rural parts of the constituency mostly went to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The constituency is estimated to have voted marginally in favour of remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum. It was one of the few in England in the unreformed House of Commons to elect only one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 onwards. As such, it used the first past the post system.
It was the seat represented by Lord North, the prime minister during the American War of Independence.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Parliamentary Borough was abolished and was reconstituted as the Northern or Banbury Division of Oxfordshire when the three-member Parliamentary County of Oxfordshire was divided into the three single-member seats: Banbury, Woodstock and Henley. It comprised the north-western part of Oxfordshire, including Chipping Norton as well as the abolished borough. Banbury has remained as such since then with varying boundaries (see below).
Political history
;Majority views
Banbury had a post-World War I unbroken Conservative representation and significant local support for the party for more than a century, from 1922 to 2024; during that period, the largest vote had been for a Conservative. Since then, its representatives have all served long terms in office, and its MPs from 1922 to 2015 have all been knighted. Although the seat saw a very close election in 1923, the seat would turn out to be one of the Tories' safe seats in the succeeding elections: in 2010, Tony Baldry (Conservative) almost doubled his majority, while the 2015 result made the seat the 125th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. Victoria Prentis would hold the seat for the Conservatives for nine more years after 2015, until the 2024 general election saw the Labour candidate, Sean Woodcock, win the seat; consequently, this was the first time that the constituency elected a Labour Party MP.
In June 2016, an estimated 50.35% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain.
;Other parties
Four of the six parties' candidates achieved more than the deposit-retaining threshold of 5% of the vote in 2015. In 2001, the Labour Party candidate Lesley Silbey won the largest opposing-party share of the vote since 1974 — 35% of the vote. Prior to 1974, the highest percentage of votes for the second-placed candidate was in 1945 — 48% of the vote.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918
- The Borough of Banbury;and
- The Sessional Divisions of Banbury and Bloxham, Chadlington, and Wootton North.
1918–1950
- The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
- The Urban District of Witney; and
- The Rural Districts of Banbury, Chipping Norton, Witney, and Woodstock.
The constituency was expanded to include the western half of the abolished Woodstock Division, including Witney and Woodstock.
1950–1974
- The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
- The Urban District of Witney;
- The Rural Districts of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Witney; and
- The Rural District of Ploughley parishes of Begbroke, Gosford and Water Eaton, Hampton Gay and Poyle, Kidlington, Shipton on Cherwell, Thrupp, and Yarnton.
Change to contents due to reorganisation of rural districts. Marginal loss to the Oxford constituency as a result of the expansion of the County Borough of Oxford.
1974–1983
- The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
- The Urban District of Bicester;
- The Rural Districts of Banbury and Chipping Norton; and
- The Rural District of Ploughley parishes of Ardley, Bucknell, Caversfield, Chesterton, Cottisford, Finmere, Fringford, Fritwell, Godington, Hardwick with Tusmore, Hethe, Kirtlington, Launton, Lower Heyford, Middleton Stoney, Mixbury, Newton Purcell with Shelswell, Somerton, Souldern, Stoke Lyne, Stratton Audley, and Upper Heyford.
The Urban and Rural Districts of Witney and the parts of the Rural District of Ploughley, including Kidlington, formed the basis of the new constituency of Mid-Oxon. Bicester and northern parts of the Rural District of Ploughley transferred from Henley.
1983–1997
- The District of Cherwell wards of Adderbury, Ambrosden, Ardley, Bicester East, Bicester South, Bicester West, Bloxham, Bodicote, Calthorpe, Chesterton, Cropredy, Deddington, Easington, Fringford, Grimsbury, Hardwick, Heyford, Hook Norton, Hornton, Kirtlington, Launton, Neithrop, Otmoor, Ruscote, Sibford, Steeple Aston, and Wroxton; and
- The District of West Oxfordshire wards of Bartons and Tackley, and Wootton.
Gained a small part of the abolished constituency of Mid-Oxon, to the south of Bicester. The bulk of the area comprising the former Urban and Rural Districts of Chipping Norton transferred to the new constituency of Witney.
1997–2010
- The District of Cherwell wards of Adderbury, Ambrosden, Ardley, Bicester East, Bicester South, Bicester West, Bloxham, Bodicote, Calthorpe, Chesterton, Cropredy, Deddington, Easington, Fringford, Grimsbury, Hardwick, Heyford, Hook Norton, Hornton, Kirtlington, Launton, Neithrop, Otmoor, Ruscote, Sibford, Steeple Aston, and Wroxton.
Minor loss to Witney, comprising the two wards in the District of West Oxfordshire.
2010–2024
- The District of Cherwell wards of Adderbury, Ambrosden and Chesterton, Banbury Calthorpe, Banbury Easington, Banbury Grimsbury and Castle, Banbury Hardwick, Banbury Neithrop, Banbury Ruscote, Bicester East, Bicester North, Bicester South, Bicester Town, Bicester West, Bloxham and Bodicote, Caversfield, Cropredy, Deddington, Fringford, Hook Norton, Launton, Sibford, The Astons and Heyfords, and Wroxton.
Two wards in the District of Cherwell to the south of Bicester (Kirtlington and Otmoor) transferred to Henley.
The 2010 constituency covered the north-east of Oxfordshire, around Banbury and Bicester and largely corresponded to the Cherwell local government district, with the principal exception of the large village of Kidlington on the outskirts of Oxford which lies in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, and some smaller villages to the north-east of Oxford that lie in the Henley constituency.
2024–present
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral wards (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The District of Cherwell wards of: Adderbury, Bloxham & Bodicote; Banbury, Calthorpe & Easington; Banbury Cross & Neithrop; Banbury Grimsbury & Hightown; Banbury Hardwick; Banbury Ruscote; Cropredy, Sibfords & Wroxton; Deddington.
- The District of West Oxfordshire wards of: Chadlington and Churchill; Charlbury and Finstock; Chipping Norton; Kingham, Rollright and Enstone; The Bartons.
Major changes, with the town of Bicester and surrounding areas, comprising 38.5% of the existing electorate', being included in the newly created constituency of Bicester and Woodstock. This was partly offset by the transfer from Witney of north-western parts of the District of West Oxfordshire, including Chipping Norton and Charlbury.
Members of Parliament
Banbury borough (until 1885)
MPs 1554–1640
Constituency created 1554. (Even before the Reform Act 1832, Banbury only returned one member to Parliament)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!Member
|-
|Parliament of 1554 (April)
|Thomas Denton
|-
|Parliament of 1554 (November)
|Edward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford
|-
|Parliament of 1555
|Not known
|-
|Parliament of 1558
|John Denton
|-
|Parliament of 1559
|Thomas Lee
|-
|Parliament of 1563
|Francis Walsingham (sat for Lyme Regis, replaced by Owen Brereton)
|-
|Parliament of 1571
|rowspan="2"|Anthony Cope
|-
|Parliament of 1572
|-
|Parliament of 1584
|Richard Fiennes
|-
|Parliament of 1586
|rowspan="5"|Anthony Cope
|-
|Parliament of 1588
|-
|Parliament of 1593
|-
|Parliament of 1597
|-
|Parliament of 1601
|-
|Parliament of 1604–1611
|rowspan="3"|Sir William Cope
|-
|Addled Parliament (1614)
|-
|Parliament of 1621–1622
|-
|Happy Parliament (1624–1625)
|Sir Erasmus Dryden
|-
|Useless Parliament (1625)
|Sir William Cope (Election declared void, replaced by James Fiennes)
|-
|Parliament of 1626
|Calcot Chambre
|-
|Parliament of 1628–1629
|John Crew
|-
|colspan="4"|No Parliament summoned 1629–1640
|-
|}
MPs 1640–1885
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Year!!Member!!Party
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| April 1640
| Nathaniel Fiennes
| Parliamentarian
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1648
| colspan="2"| Fiennes excluded in Pride's Purge – seat left vacant
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1653
| colspan="2"|Banbury was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and <br />the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| January 1659
| Nathaniel Fiennes, the younger
|
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| May 1659
| colspan="2"| Banbury was not represented in the restored Rump
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|April 1660
| Sir Anthony Cope
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1661
| Sir John Holman
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1685
| Sir Dudley North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1689
| Sir Robert Dashwood
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1698
| James Isaacson
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1699
| Sir John Cope
| Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1700
| Patrick Friel
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1701
| Charles North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1713
| Sir Jonathan Cope
| <!-- party --> Tory
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1722
| Monoux Cope
| <!-- party -->Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1727
| Hon. Francis North
| <!-- party --> Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1730
| Toby Chauncy
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1733
| William Knollys
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1740
| William Moore
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1746
| John Willes
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1754 || Frederick North, Lord North
|Tory
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1790 || George North, Lord North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1792 || Hon. Frederick North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1794 || William Holbech
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1796 || Dudley Long North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1806 || William Praed
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1808 || Dudley Long North
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1812 || Frederick Sylvester North Douglas
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1819 || Hon. Heneage Legge
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| 1826 || Hon. Arthur Legge
| <!-- party -->
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1830 || Henry Villiers-Stuart
| Tory
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1831 || John Easthope
| Radical
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1832 || Henry William Tancred
| Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| February 1859 || Bernhard Samuelson
| Whig|| Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1918 by-election ||rowspan="2"| Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, 1st Baronet || Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1918 || Coalition Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1922 || James Edmondson, 1st Baron Sandford || Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1945 || Douglas Dodds-Parker || Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1959 || Neil Marten || Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 1983 || Tony Baldry || Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 2015 || Victoria Prentis || Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| 2024 || Sean Woodcock || Labour
|}
Elections
thumb|Banbury 1900-2024 Election Results
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 26,397 ||align=right| 52.0
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 12,598 ||align=right| 24.8
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 10,335 ||align=right| 20.3
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 1,480 ||align=right| 2.9
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|50,810
|align=right|72.6
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|69,943
|}
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Election in the 1940s
General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Independent Progressive: Patrick Early
Elections in the 1930s
Election in the 1920s
thumb|120px|Verney
thumb|120px|Fry
Election in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: Eustace Fiennes
- Conservative: